Smartphone (Android) Scanners

[dj_paige]

Does anyone have experience with a "scanner" application for Android smartphones? Specifically, there is app for Android named "Scanner Radio" which claims: "Allows you to listen to live audio from over 2,300 police and fire scanners, railroad communications, and weather radio broadcasts from around the world (with more being added daily)."

Or are there other smartphone (Android) apps that work well?

[Ken W2KB]

Does anyone have experience with a "scanner" application for Android smartphones? Specifically, there is app for Android named "Scanner Radio" which claims: "Allows you to listen to live audio from over 2,300 police and fire scanners, railroad communications, and weather radio broadcasts from around the world (with more being added daily)."

Or are there other smartphone (Android) apps that work well?

Since it is only to connect to an internet data feed the application would not be particularly complex or difficult to program so odds are it should work fine. Essentially the same as streaming music content.

[Steve F45]

I have that application on my blackberry. Its ok for pd/fd/ems, but for me in NJ it has very limited use for railroad stuff. And its running off a feed from radioreference.com.

[EMTRailfan]

A few of my friends use it. It seems OK, with the exception that it is approx. 90 seconds post real-time.

[FireChaserE3]

Ive use these smartphone apps...not a fan of them personally. For FD/PD/EMS, you only get a limited amount of stuff you can hear and nothing usually for RR related items.

[justalurker66]

The value is certainly limited based on the who is donating signals in a particular area. Most of the sources I see on the system are police and fire. The weather stations have some interest to me but the railroad feeds are limited.

There has also been some complaints from the police and other authorities about the app. While I believe it is not specifically banned by law (in my state of Indiana) since the device does not receive "police radio" frequencies, some departments consider it illegal.

http://www.wthr.com/story/14671565/poli ... in-indiana

Personally, I believe the app is as legal as taking a photograph of a passing train or rail infrastructure. If you're using it to commit a crime the police can bust you for THE CRIME. But I digress ...


I would find the app more valuable if a railroad I cared about was available through it. I would donate a feed to the system if I had the bandwidth and location needed to provide one - especially as we move into narrowbanding where new radios will be required to continue listening. Sharing an antenna and radio among all who are interested in listening is a better use of resources than everyone buying an expensive receiver.

[trainjunky]

android scanners are ok, but dont cover alot of railroad areas.